Integrating leg gauge



July 29, 1952 M. E. NELSON INTEGRATING LEG GAUGE Filed Sept. 22, 1947 g5\, 97 I; k v l 9519344 97 IYNVENTOR A2 93 /07 /05 MELVIN E.NELSON BY 2a.

ATTORNEY y 1952 M. E. NELSON INTEGRATING LEG GAUGE 2SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed Sept. 22, 1947 Lu 1).? I

5& 40 35 INVENTOR MELVIN E. NELSON 22 4 p4 U I IIIIIIII/II/IIIIII/I/I g 5 27! 25 2a ATTORNEY Patented July 29, 1952 INTEGRATING LEG GAUGE Melvin Nelson, Burbank, Calif., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Gotham Hosiery Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application'September 22, 1947, Serial No. 775,408

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to devices for measuring the human foot and leg to determine the size of stocking that will providethe best fit.

,A broad object of the invention is to provide a leg. or foot gage that will in a single operation determine stocking size therefor.

A morespecific object is to provide a gage that will integrate. the length of the foot or leg with the mean width or thickness thereof, to determine the :proper size stocking therefor.

Another object is to provide a device of the general. type described which-is simple and easy to use and .lS reliable vin operation.

Other morespecific objects and features of the invention will appear from thedescription-to follow of a specific embodimentthereof.

vlvlfodern stockings areobta-inable in various foot length sizes and also various leg .length sizes. However, the properstockin-gsize fora good vfoot lit and for a good leg fit is; not determined .only by the length ofv the foot or the leg. The fabrics. from which ,stockings are constructed are yieldable in either direction; but are only-slightly yieldable-in both directions simultaneously. In other words, the threads from which the stockings, are woven have very little stretch, but the fabric can stretchinone directionby contractinginthe-otherdirection. As a result,- a stocking sizethat will fit a thin leg of given. length will not fit a: fat leg of the same length. Instead, the same stocking will appear muchyshorteron thefatleg than on'the thin leg. The same holdstrue forwideand narrow feet of the same length. v

Some people have ascertained theirproper size stocking, both asto foot sizeand as to leg size, bytrialand error. Others have not been able to do this Furthermore, until relatively recently, many stocking -manufacturers made only. a very limited number of different leg sizes,- andstockingpurchasers have not had opportunity to determine their proper size. r

. Attempts have been made to ascertain the proper stocking size by. measuring the length .of that portion of the leg thatis desiredto be covered'by the stocking and then making oneor several random measurements of the thickness of the leg at typical points, such as the ankle, the calf,.and/or just above the knee. However, this has .proyen .unsatisfactoryin many instances because; no, two, legs are proportioned thesameand while a calf measurement maybe typical as to" The machine of ,the present, invention .is essen-- tially an integrating machine that automatically gives a reading that is proportional both to the length and thickness of the leg. The machine also gives the foot size by integrating the length of the foot with the width of the foot at its-widest point. A full understandin of the invention may be had from the following description which refers .to the drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a machine in: accordance with the invention with a foot and le'g shown in dotted lines in position tobe measured;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine in-operative relation to a leg and foot which are shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 3 is a detail vertical section takeninthe p a I I. o la Fig. 4 is a horizontal section in the plane IV--IV of ig.3; 7

Fig. 5 isa detail vertical section in the plane VV of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section. in the plane VI-VI of Fig.2;

Fig. 7' is a detail vertical section in the plane VII-VII of Fig. 6; and I a Fig. 8 is a detail vertical section in the plan VIIIVIII of Fig. 6.

Referring toFigs. 1 and 2, the 'machine includes abase l0 and an upright or standard ll extending-upwardly fromthebase. A casing [-2 is slidable vertically on the'standard VI 1 and contains a mechanism for-gaging the leg. Thebase In includes the mechanism for gaging the foot, and it will be described first.

Referring to Fig. 1, the base Ill comprises a lower flat platform I3 uponwhich the foot l w is placed. For gaging the foot two L-shaped members 14 and 15 are provided. The member 14 is rigidly connectedto the platform l3' as.by a pair of upstanding lugs I 6 on the platform (Fig. 2). The short arm of the member is adapted to rest against the heel of the foot,and

the long arm is adapted to rest against the'inside tends through a slot provided therefor-in the wall of acasing l9 which is positioned onone side of the platform 13.

Within the casing [9, the rod 18 is slidably Y mounted inholes provided therefor -in a pair; of

upstanding lugs 2| and '22 on a carriage 23. Carriage 23 consists of a fiat plate 24, edge portions of which are turned up to form the lugs 2! and 22, and other edge portions of which are turned down to form a pair of lugs 25 and 26, which have apertures receiving a stationary supporting rod 21. The rod 21 may be extended through'an aperture 28 in one end wall 29 of the casing I9 and through another aperture 3I in a partition wall 32 of the casing I9. The rod 2I can be restrained against longitudinal movement by a pair of pins 33 which are extended through the rod on opposite sides of the partition wall 32.

The L shaped member I5 moves laterally according to the width of the foot, causing the rod I 8 to slide through the lugs 2] and 22; and moves longitudinally according to the length of the foot, sliding longitudinally in the slot 29 to accommodate this movement. Both movements of the rod I8 are combined, by means of a mechanism to be described, to cause a movement of a pointer 35 over a scale 39 and thereby indicate the size of stocking foot that is required for the best fit. Thus the pointer 35 is secured to a bar 31 extending parallel to the scale 36 and pivotally secured at its opposite ends to a pair of parallel arms 38 and 39 respectively. The arms 38 and 39 are pivotally secured at points 49 and 4| respectively to the carriage 23, so that the bar 3! and the pointer 35 are permitted to move in a horizontal plane but are prevented from turning within that plane. This causes the pointer 35 to always remain normal to the scale 36. The scale 36 is viewed through a window (Fig. 1) which may be narrower than the length of the pointer 35, so that the lateral movement of the pointer is not apparent, and it appears to move only longitudinally along the scale 35. The arms 39 and 39'are swung about their pivot points 40 and II in response to sliding movement of the rod I8 through the carriage lugs 2I and 22. To this end, the arm 38 has a shortextension 38a extending perpendicularly from its pivotal end andpivotally secured as at 38b to one end of a link 42, the other end of which is pivotally secured to the rod I8.

It will be apparent that longitudinal movement of the L. member I5 parallel to the foot moves thecarriage 23 bodily,and that the pointer 35 is carried alongwith the carriage to produce an indication on the scalett that is proportional to the length of the foot. It will also be observed that outward movement of the L member I15 causes the rod I8 to slide through the lugs 21 and'22and rotate the arm 38 in such direction as'to cause the pointer 35 to move to a higher number on the scale 39 in response to a Wide foot-than a narrow foot. Therefore, the mechanism responds to both the length and the width of the foot to integrate the two measurements and produce an indication on the scale 390i the proper foot size that is required. It has been determined by experiment that the length of the extension 38a should be 1" when the length of the arm 38 is 2 /8". With these proportions, a change in foot width of A inch changes the reading on the scale 38 about one inch.

Referring to Fig. 1, scale 3'6 shows conventional foot sizes from 8 to 11 /2. These are standard'foot sizes which are supposed to indicate the length of the foot. However, a stocking that will fit perfectly a foot of one width will not fit another 'foot of the same length but difierent 4 width. The present instrument, by integrating both the length and width of the foot, indicates the stocking size that will properly fit the foot being measured.

The leg-measuring mechanism, including the standard II and the casing I2 will next be described. Referring to Fig. 6 it will be observed that the casing I9 is formed with a pocket or recess 59 in which the lower end of the standard II is pivotally secured by a pivot bolt 5|, which extends through apertures provided in the standard and in the wall sections 52 and 53 defining the sides of the pocket 59. As shown in Figs. 6 and 8, the inner portion '54 of the wall defining the inner end 'of the pocket 59 is spaced from the adjacent surface of the standard II when the latter is in vertical position, but is contacted by the standard in response to slight angular movement of the latter about the pivot bolt 5I in either direction. Therefore the wall 54 acts as a stop member to limit oscillation of the standard I I. Limited oscillatory movement is desirable, as will be explained later.

The standard II extends through apertures provided therefor in the top wall 55 and the bottom wall 59 of the casing I2. The casing I2 is guided for vertical sliding movement along the standard II by a pair of straps 5! and 58 which are secured to the main wall 59 of the casing I2 and hold the portion of the wall 59 that is juxtaposed to the standard 5! snugly thereagainst. As best shown in Fig. 4, the wall 59 is shaped to define a trough 69 which fits around the sides of the standard II and prevents the casing from rocking on the standard. I

The procedure for determining the leg size with the present invention is to first place the casing I2 in its lowermost position, resting on the highest portion 62 (Fig. 2) of the base, set an indicator 63 (Fig. 1) displayed through a window 64 in the upper wall 55 of the casing I2 to zero, and then raise the casing I2 along the leg 66 to the level 6! thereon where it is desired that the hem of the stocking be. This hemline 61 will in many instances be determined by the normal position of the garter that is employed. Otherwise it is chosen according to the desire of the fittee. At the completion of the upper movement of the casing I2 to the hemline 61, the indicator 63 will indicate the leg length size of stocking that will produce the best fit for the particular leg that has been measured. The indicator 63 and the mechanism for actuating it will next be described.

Referring first to Fig. 2, it will be observed that there are two parallel, horizontal bars 69 and III which project from the side of the casing I2 and lie against the front and rear respectively of the leg 96 that is being gaged. The bar 69 is rigidly secured to the front wall 59 of the casing I2. The other bar I9 is secured to the upper end of an arm II that is secured at its lower end to a shaft I2 rotatable in a journal formed in the casing Wall 59. The arm II can rock through quite a wide angle, the movement being limited by a pair of stops I3 and I4 extending from the casing wall 59. Secured to the inner end of the shaft I2 for rotation therewith is an arm I6. A helical tension spring I5 (Fig. 3) is connected to this arm I6 to maintain the member ID in con tact with the leg as the casing I2 is moved upwardly therealong. v

The outer end of the arm I6 is pivotally connected, as by a pivot 11, to the lower end'of a bar I8, the upper end of which is pivotally connecte-d; asi-by 'a pivot: l9; to= am arm. 80;.lthe: other end of which is :pivotally supported sonifthe" ;wall 59 ofithe'casing. I The bar' 18 therefore" can swing through an arc-.whilezmaintainingiitselftin vertical: position; 'in' responseto movement of'the bar 19 in accordance with thei contour.10f the leg being 'rgaged. Referring toFig; 4, it: wi111be":ob served. that the bar 18. is of channelifo'rm; the pivots I! and 19.*extendingithrough the flanges of the section. Theweb of the channel section contains a longitudinal :slot 83, and: the? edges of this slot ride inan annular groove 84 in -a shaft 85 which shaft is supported-for ro'taryand longitudinal movement in a pair of bearing members 36 and 81 formed integrally with the wall member 59. Mountedupon the shaft 85 intermediate the bearings BB-and B1:is:a.sleev e 89,: carrying a pinion 90 that meshes with a: rack 9|; secured to the side of the standard ll. This pinion 90 and the sleeve 89 therefore rotate through an angle proportional to the vertical distance through which the casing I2'is moved.

,"The shaft fifiis'coupled to the sleeve 8 9 for rotation therewith and for longitudinal sliding movement with respect thereto, by a pin 93 extending" radially from" the shaft 85, which pin engages a longitudinal slot 92 in the sleeve. The shaft 85 carries a driving roller 94 that frictionally'engages aface'95 of'the-indicator drum 63.

This drum 63l 'hasa h'ub -96.jformed integrally 1 therewith which extendsthrough an aperture 9'! inthe casing 12. The hub; fl'fiissupportedfor rotation by a screw Slit-that-is threaded-into the bearing member'tl. The outer end of the hub 96 is counterbored as indicated at I95, for reception of a helical spring I96, which is compressed between the shoulder I01, at the inner end of the counterbore, and the head of the screw 99, to urge the drum 63 against the driving roller 94.

When the member 10 and the shaft 85 are retracted by the spring 15, the roller 94 is near the outer edge of the face 95, so that for a given angular movement of the roller 94, the corresponding angular movement of the indicator 63 is relatively small. On the other hand, the farther the element H1 is displaced by a thick leg, the nearer the roller 94 will be moved toward the center of rotation of the face 95, and the angular movement of the indicator 63 will be correspondingly greater. The overall result is that the reading produced on the indicator 63 in response to movement of the casing l2 from lowermost position to the desired hemline 61 is not only a function of the vertical distance that the casing l2 moves (which is a measure of the length of the stocking as it will be worn) but is also a function of the thickness of the leg. This thickness of the leg must be taken into account if the desired position of the stocking on the leg is to be had, because of the foreshortening of the stocking fabric resultant from an increased thickness.

It has been determined that the longitudinal movement of the shaft 85, the diameter of the face 95, and the diameter of the roller 94 should be such that the speed ratio of the roller 94 to the indicator drum 63 should vary from about 4.4 when the calibrating elements 69 and Hi are 3.75 inches apart to a ratio of about 1.9 when the elements 69 and 10 are 8.75 inches apart.

It has been previously mentioned that the standard H has a limited range of oscillatory movement. This is necessary because the leg contacting element 69 is rigidly connected to the casing 12 and therefore the casing must move 6. back and forthwtocompensate for: the irregularitiesin-the surfaceiofitherleg contacted by the element 59.

:iThe calibration of the indicator). 63 is purely arbitrary, butin practice would be associated with the particular calibration adopted by "a stocking-manufacturer.

To" prevent the casing. l2 from dropping of its own weight along the: standard H abrake is provided. \This brake consists 0f a lever. 1 00 which is pivotally'connected as :by'a pivot HM: to the casing wall 59 and is so; proportioned that as the-outer end, which projects through an'aperture provided therefor in casing I2, .is. moved downwardly almost intov horizontal position," the inner-end l02-contactsand binds against the standard ll to prevent downward'movement ofthe casing I2 into bottom position preliminary to the-making of another measurementftherouter endof thelever I 09 is raised to release the brake and permit the casing I! to be moved'downwardly'along the-standard.

The indicator 63 can-be reset by rotating the exposed end of the hubBG, the latter resembling a knob. Such resettingis 'easilydone because-of the limitedjfrictional resistance betweenthe face "and't he'roller 94. Although for the purpose 'of explaining-the invention a particular embodiment thereof has been shown and described, obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art, and I do not desire to be limited to the exact details illustrated.

I claim:

1. A gage of the type described comprising: a casing adapted to be moved vertically alongside a leg to be gaged and having a pair of relatively movable members adapted to contact opposite sides of the leg and move toward and away from each other according to the varying thickness of the leg; an indicator movable in a single fixed path; a variable ratio transmission mechanism having rotary input and output elements; means for rotating said input element a distance proportional to the vertical movement of said casing comprising a rack supported against vertical movement along which said casing travels, and a pinion within said casing meshing with said rack and coupled to said input element; means coupling said output element to said indicator for moving said indicator a distance in said single fixed path proportional to the movement of said output element; and means for varying the ratio of said transmission in accordance with the spacing between said members, to increase the ratio of the movement of said output member relative to that of the said input member in response to an increase in the spacing between said members.

2. A gage of the type described comprising: a

having movable input and output elements; means for moving said input element a distance proportional to the vertical movement of said casing; means coupling said output element to said indicator for moving said indicator a distance in said single fixed path proportional to the movement of said output element; and means for varying the ratio of said transmission in accordance with the spacing between said members, to increase the ratio of the movement of said output member relative to that of the said input member in response to an increase in the spacing between said members; a platform and a standard rising from said platform, said casing being slidable along said standard; overrunning brake means for preventing downward movement of said casing along said standard while permitting free upward movement therea-long; and means for releasing said brake to permit downward movement of said casing.

3. A gage of the type described comprising: a casing adapted to be moved vertically alongside a leg to be gaged and having a pair of relatively movable members adapted to contact opposite sides of the leg and move toward and away from each other according to the varying thickness of the leg; an indicator movable in a single fixed path; a variable ratio transmission mechanism having movable input and output elements; means for moving said input element a distance proportional to the vertical movement of said casing; means coupling said output element to said indicator for moving said indicator a distance in said single fixed path proportional tothe movement of said output element; and means for varying the ratio of said transmission in accordance with the spacing between said members, to increase the ratio of the movement of said output member relative to that of the said input member in response to an increase in the spacing between said members; a platform and a standard rising from the platform, said casing being slidable along said platform; one of said two relatively movable members being fixed to said casing; and said standard being hingedly secured to said platform for limited oscillatory movement to permit said one member to follow the contour of the leg.

' MELVIN E. NELSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 819,867 Doty May 8, 1906 7 920,803 Woodrufi May 4, 1909 1,053,964 Atwell Feb. 25, 1913 1,193,770 Dean Aug. 8, 1916 1,582,636 Clark Apr. 27, 1926 2,125,530 Verdier Aug. 2, 1938 2,332,722 Infield Oct. 26, 1943 2,332,723 Infield Oct. 26, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 33,162 Sweden Mar. 17, 1911 195,615 Great Britain Dec. 20, 1923 

